Did you really want to be in the
POMS Spelling Bee,
but you didn’t make it?

Come to the
Wild Card Spelling Bee
on
Wednesday, December 2nd
4pm ~ sharp!

Five Students Will Win
Any Grade, Any House

I am working on adding more technology and mentor texts to my classroom. If you know a person or organization looking to sponsor an educator, please send them to the sites below.

http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/view_profile?id=6064302552136917

http://www.iloveschools.com/teacher/cgeraci

http://www.donorschoose.org/?return=true&return=true For this site, please put my last name in the search box and press the arrow.

Please take a moment to see some of the other wonderful projects listed on these websites. Thank you for your consideration!

Because I have been out, the students and I have not had a chance to really work on revision and editing. Instead of having the Multimedia Memoir Project due November 30/December 1, I am moving the date to Friday, December 4.

Along with that change, I am offering another option on the project. Students may complete an online project where they post their text with pictures and/or video. One possible site for this is http://www.tabblo.com/studio/ . Another good site is https://www.blogger.com/start . For either of these, you will need to send me a link and/or make me a friend. If I am not signed up, and I may not be for the site you choose, please let me know where I need to sign up.

Please remember, with all options I need to have a copy of the text only. You may turn it in as a Word document or hand written.

Please enjoy your holiday!

Did you know that lots of authors have their own websites where they post information about their books, their writing, and their lives? Did you also know that a lot of these authors love to here from their readers (ahem…that means you!)?

If you need a little bit of extra credit this six weeks, all you have to do is conduct a little research on your favorite author! Find an author’s own website and explore it (make sure you are at the author’s website, not a fan site). Use the following online form to submit information to Ms. Parker about your author visiting experience. Be sure to read the form first so that you know what kind of information to be on the look out for!

As I was running around, attending wonderful workshops at the National Council of Teachers of English conference, I realized that I had neglected to post this week’s assignments on the blog, so, here they are!

A Christmas Carol Stave 2 Questions

“What Does Scrooge See?” Worksheet

I hope that students had plenty of time to work on these two assignments in class this week, but here they are in case extra copies are needed. Also, students should not forget that I am collecting their folders for A Christmas Carol to check vocabulary and literary device entries on Monday and Tuesday through Stave 2.

I am having a wonderful time at the conference! I have lots of new ideas, lots of great new books, and some pretty unusual experiences to share with students when I get back!

Note to parents and students:

Homework: 

Study Vocabulary Words Chapter 3.  Test on Monday/Tuesday:   Nov. 23-24. 

clustering, decimal, decimal point, equivalent decimals, expanded form, front-end-estimation, standard form.  The student must be able to complete sentences with the above terms and define two of them.  

Extra practice on page 165:  Vocabulary check #1-10. 

Parents:  I have sent detailed progress report to any student with an average less than 80%.  If your child has less than 80% as average, there is special homework that must be completed:  Study Guide Intervention Workbook pages 19 through 23.  The student will receive extra points for completing those pages. 

If there are any missing assignments, those must be completed ASAP.   I will not accept missing work after November 24.

TUTORIALS:  Mondays after school from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m.  **The school will not provide transportation after tutorials. 

Have a great weekend!!

Note to parents and students:

HOMEWORK:  Textbook pp. 154-156

CHAPTER 3 TEST:  Friday, November 20.

All students are receiving a Ch. 3 review.

CH. 3 VOCABULARY TEST:  Monday/Tuesday November 23-24. 

Important note:  If your child has a missing assignment (Msg) or a failing grade, the student must contact me ASAP to receive tutorials, complete the work in Stables, and/or complete make-up work under teacher’s supervision.  EXTRA WORK ON-LINE WILL NOT SUBSTITUTE A GRADE!

Keep up the good work! 

Multimedia Memoir Project

You are going to tell us a story about one small piece of your life. This story should communicate the importance of or reasons for actions and/or consequences. For instance, you might want to tell a story where you learned a valuable lesson.

When you tell this story, you will present it to the class using one of the listed forms below. Because this project will require so much time, your homework for the next few weeks will be to work on your project. You will be required to write about what you did and to have your parent sign saying they know you worked on your project.

Possible project ideas

 Poster board with pictures of a particular event. You must have a paragraph caption for each picture. The pictures and photos must work together to tell us the story.

 Photographic memoir. You have seen an example of this in class. For this type of memoir, you will tell us about your life by examining that photo and adding details about the time period in which it was taken.

 Podcast. Your podcast is a sound file that will play on Windows Media player. You must also turn in a written text of your podcast. Each podcast should last about five minutes.

 Power point. Your presentation must include fifteen to twenty slides with at least ten photos and ten paragraphs. The pictures and photos must work together to tell us the story.

 Video. Please save to a CD in a format that will play on Windows Media player. Turn in your script with the video.

Projects are due November 30 and December 1st. It will be graded on completion, complexity, all writing traits, and those GUM skills we have already covered as well as those we will cover this six weeks.

As requested by students, I am attaching copies of the worksheets we are completing for the first stave (chapter) of A Christmas Carol. Students will receive these worksheets in class Friday. I am also attaching another copy of the calendar for November and December.

Stave 1 Questions- assigned 11/13, due 11/16-17

The Character in Four Parts- assigned 11/13, due 11/16-17

Plot Diagram- assigned 11/13, due TBA (upon completion of novel)

Nov/Dec 2009 Calendar

There is a force and motion quiz scheduled for Friday, November 13. This quiz will consist of word problems that the students will need to read, then decide which mathematical formula to use, and then solve. All steps must be shown, the units must be correct and the answer must be boxed. Tutorials will be held this Thursday afternoon for those students who come prepared with questions.

Webquest

This week begins with students working on a webquest to learn more about Victorian England, Charles Dickens, and A Christmas Carol. Students are working in groups and they each have a topic for which they are responsible for researching. They will then share their findings with other members of their group. Students can access the webquest at anytime using the Renzulli website.

Renzulli Learning

Reading A Christmas Carol

We will begin reading A Christmas Carol in class Wednesday/Thursday. We will be reading together in class for at least the first part of the book so that students can get used to the language.  Students will be responsible for completing certain activities on their own. It is very important that as much as possible we stay on schedule. If students are absent, they should make every effort to keep up with the reading or they will be behind when they come to class. I am giving students a copy of the calendar for November and December and I will attach it here as well.

November/ December Reading Calendar

Field Trip

Students have received copies of the permission slip for the December 17th field trip to see A Christmas Carol at the Alley Theatre. The cost for the field trip is $11 to cover the cost of the student’s ticket. Students should return the permission slip and the fee as soon as possible. If your child is in need of financial assistance, please let me know and we will make arrangements. We want every student to have the chance to enjoy this experience.

This field trip is very close to the holiday break. If you know that your family will be traveling and your child will not be able to attend this field trip, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can make sure that every ticket we have purchased is used!

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Parker!

Students received an updated information sheet today in class discussing the due date change. I would like any projects that are completed by Nov. 20th so that I can make sure everything is ok. I will accept projects up through Nov. 30th with no late penalty. Anything after the 30th will not be accepted- the House C history fair is Dec. 1-2 and all projects must be ready for entry. See what the students received here.

Also- History Fair Fun Night! Nov. 11 and 12 from 4-5:30 in the main commons. Students who would like to get extra help/ attention on their project may bring any necessary resources (display boards, laptops, glue, etc) and receive any additional help they may need. Snacks will be provided.

One more thing…. this week we watched the movie “Promises” and had a movie guide that every student will need to turn in by Tuesday. If you missed one or more days this week, I will be showing the movie after school Monday AND Tuesday so you can get your assignment done. Plan on staying if you missed it! Or, if you have Netflix, it’s a movie you can watch instantly on your computer at home. Either way is fine.

Have a great weekend!

Students and teachers were given permission to dress in costume for Halloween. At the request of some students, I am posting a picture of the Mad Scientist that visited our class Friday.

The last tests were graded and returned Friday, October 30. Students should be have their scantron and test booklet. Please look over the test with your child and sign and have him return the scantron.
Students will earn back 1/2 of their missed points by copying the incorrect problems (questions and answer choices) and writing an explanation as to why each answer choice is correct or incorrect.

What are we working on?

We are currently working on improving our dialectical journals. Dialectical journals consist of “evidence” from the text and “commentary” about some particular aspect of the text that we have been studying (character, literary device, imagery, etc). The purpose of this activity is to help students learn to analyze  an author’s words. Students may bring their journal home this weekend, so ask them to look at their journals and have them explain dialectical journals to you. Journals will be collected Wednesday/ Thursday, November 4th/5th. This grade will replace the first dialectical journal grade this six weeks as a major grade (the first grade will become a daily grade). I am available Wednesday afternoon if students need assistance.

Literary Device Quiz

Students will have a quiz over literary devices on Monday or Tuesday. They need to be able to identify the definition and write original examples of alliteration, personification, symbols, idioms, and hyperbole. Additionally, they will need to be able to recognize examples of those literary devices as well as the devices we have gone over previously: simile, imagery, metaphor, repetition, and onomatopoeia.

A Christmas Carol

I will be placing the order for our copies of A Christmas Carol and we will begin our introductory activities with the book at the end of next week. Students will also be receiving the permission slip for our December 17th field trip to the Alley Theatre will be sent home next week.

Note to parents and students:

Friday:  October 30 VOCABULARY CH. 2 TEST

Due to early dismissal 2nd and 4th period will take the test on Tuesday, November 3. 

Homework:  Puzzle on Voc. words due on Friday, and Integers worksheet due on Monday.  2nd and 4th period both assignments are due on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Courtesy of Mrs. Barnes, the band teacher, the fine arts update is now available for download.

Congratulations to to the following students for  correctly answering last week’s Cluster Challenge:

• Anna McGuffee
• Kara Thompson
• Emma Barrett
• Giselle Santillana
• Jonathon Mills
• Brianna Kelly
• Julia Casbarian

Special recognition goes to the following students for providing the correct mathematical solution to last week’s challenge:

• Corinne Cassel
• Marco Trevino
• Patrick Revilla

Ready for this week’s challenge? Ok! Go!

For this test, you are to use four of your history fair sources to create an annotated bibliography. For help in created the MLA style citations please go here:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
You will need to scroll down to the bottom for help with individual entries.

For help in writing the annotations, you may use the same website, or go here:

http://www.nationalhistoryday.org/AnnotatedBibliography.htm

Remember everything I have taught you: alphabetical order by author or title, indent the second and subsequent lines, and use 12 point typeface if you are word processing your bibliography.

Your test is due Monday, October 26 for odd periods and Tuesday, October 27 for even periods.

There will be a science test covering Chapters 1 and 2 Wednesday and Thursday, October 28 and 29.  This test will cover our Matter and Energy Unit. Tutorials will be available this afternoon and Monday and Tuesday afternoon from 4pm to 4:45pm. Download the study guide here and in ParentStudent Connect.

A Christmas Carol Field Trip

In November and December 6C students will read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. As a culminating event, we will be going on a field trip to see a live production of A Christmas Carol- A Ghost Story of Christmas at the Alley Theatre. Our field trip will take place December 17th, 2009. The projected cost of the trip will be $11 per person and permission slips will be sent home the first week of November.

We will need parents to help chaperone our trip. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Ms. Parker for more information. In order to chaperone, you will also need to be registered with HISD’s VIPS (Volunteers in Public Schools) program. You should be able to register by using the following link:

HISD VIPS Login

Also…

Our purpose for reading A Christmas Carol is to explore character, theme, and literary devices through classical literature. We will be reading the book together in class, and it is recommended that students have their own copy of the book to make notes and to re-read passages as necessary. We are able to order copies of the book for $1 each through Scholastic and students are receiving an order form for copies of A Christmas Carol which should be returned by October 30th. I am strongly encouraging students to purchase a copy of the book, but a class set will be available for those who are not able to.

We are very excited about the features and transparency that ParentStudent Connect offers to you, parents and students. One question we have received regards the ability to send notes to the teacher when you have concerns about an assignment. Currently there is no teacher notification that a note has been posted unless a teacher purposefully inspects a student profile. In order to receive responses in a timely manner,  please use the email links that you can find in the left sidebar of our cluster website. Thank you for your consideration.

Students,
I was very impressed Friday with all of the notecards I saw!  Great job staying on schedule and continuing to research- I know it’s been tough at times.  Keep up all the hard work I’m seeing!

Coming up- the fact card check was to make sure we were all on track.  CONTINUE TO RESEARCH!  The deadline is fast approaching, and you don’t want to leave things till the last minute.  

The next deadline: Nov. 6th with the rough draft of your bibliography AND process paper, both of which you have been talking about/ working on in Mrs. Geraci’s class.  More info to come from me later.

This week:  we’ve been talking about natural resources in South America.  Friday the 23rd is our South America/ natural resources quiz.  Also, we will be talking about culture and continuing with our Junior Achievement Global Marketplace lessons. 

Enjoy the beautiful weather.

Sign up sheets for science make up tests have been posted. Available times are Friday during 6th grade lunch, Friday after school, Monday during third lunch, and Monday after school. I encourage all students who desire to sit for a retest to review  their test booklets and pay special attention to questions 15-20. The retest will consist entirely of passages and questions over experimental design (problems, hypotheses, conclusions, variables, constants, and controls) and scientific law and theory.

As I will be out Thursday, October 15, any students wishing to sign up for  the retest should see Mrs. Baumgarten. I will return Friday, October 16.

Congratulations to Emma, Julia, Ari, Patrick, and Grant for correctly answering last week’s Cluster Challenge question!

Here’s this week’s question. Remember to submit all solutions to Mr. E.

It has been couple of weeks since my last post so I wanted to take this chance to update you on a few things we are working on in Reading.

Character and Plot

Overall, students did a wonderful job on the test over character which we took a couple of weeks ago and it has been returned to students. Analyzing characters is a skill which we will be developing and incorporating with other skills throughout the year.

We have also been exploring plot and conflict over the past week and will continue to work to determine how authors use plot, conflict, and characters to create an interesting story.

Vocabulary Quiz

We will have a vocabulary quiz Friday. This quiz will cover words beginning with the prefixes, pre-, post-, mono-, and poly-. We reviewed all the words that would be covered on the quiz Monday and Tuesday and all students will receive a study packet by Thursday.

In Other News

Independent Reading Books- Students are learning a journaling strategy called Dialectical Journaling. It is very important that students have their Independent Reading Book (IRB) with them each time they come to class. While I know that it is easy to leave a good book on the nightstand after reading at bedtime, please help you child remember that they will have opportunities to read during the day and they will need their book for reading class. Throw it in the backpack each morning because you never know when you will have the chance to read (and don’t forget to record your minutes on your reading log)!

Current Event Article- We will be learning a strategy for summarizing that should come in handy when working on History Fair projects. I am asking all students to bring a current event article that interests them to class Monday/Tuesday of next week. If students do not have their own article, they will be forced to use the articles I have chosen (and I can’t guarantee they will be interesting).

Students will be taking a basic science skills test Friday, October 9. As a class, we have generated topics for this exam:

1. Math- including hand calculation of averages and long division
2. Scientific process- including problems, hypotheses, data types, variables and experimental design
3. Measurement- including proper units for volume and area, displacement method for volume
4. Safety- including proper laboratory behavior
5. Equipment- including the use and function of equipment

Students should use their notebooks and the “What is Science?” section pages 10-21 of their textbook to review. I will be available for questions, Thursday afternoon, October 8.

Note to parents and students:

Tomorrow: Friday, October 2nd:  Multiplication tables Quiz #2

HOMEWORK FOR  ALL CLASS PERIODS DUE ON MONDAY/TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5-6

Textbook pp 93-94 #2-16 (even) and pp 98-99 #2-20 (even).

Friendly reminder:  

Monday/Tuesday, October 5/6 VOCABULARY WORDS CHAPTER 1 TEST. (Refer to all vocabulary words on page 68.)  On this test the student will have to identify 10 terms and WRITE the definition for two of the terms. 

TUTORIALS ON MONDAYS FROM 3:50 TO 4:50 P.M.  Parents will be responsible for transportation. 

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

New cluster challenge is now available! Get solving students! Send all solutions to Mr. E.

Couple updates:

1- I’m sending home progress reports this week to anyone who is missing work/ failing (below 70).   You have until Monday October 5th to turn in anything before final grades.  If you aren’t missing anything, you’re good.  Make sure you continue to stay on top of things!

2- I’ve been asked several times when my tutorials are: I don’t have a set day/ time.  Let me know when you can be here (before or after school) and I’ll be here.

3- In regards to history fair:

• We went to the library one day last week.  Researching should still be happening at home or outside library sources.  ***See below for the list of due dates coming up.
• www.nationalhistoryday.org has all the information you may need to be successful on this project.  Of course, I’m always willing and able to answer any burning questions as well.
• Acceptable forms of final projects: tri-fold display boards, models, power point, documentary, performance (play), website, or a combination of any of the above.  If you have an idea of another way to present your information, ask and I’ll let you know if it’ll work or not.  Off limits final projects: research papers!
• If you are creating a website, you MUST go through Weebly, which is linked on the NHD website.
• Don’t forget the online resources available to you through HISD.  Library services are here to serve you.

• Have fun with your project!  This is a time to learn something new, and make some awesome discoveries!

Due dates FAST approaching:

1. Note Card check: October 16, 2009

2. Source List (rough draft of bibliography and process paper): November 6, 2009

3. Actual Due Date for FINAL Project: November 20, 2009

Note to Parents and Students:

CHAPTER 1 TEST:  September 30/October 1st.  

September 30 will be FUNKY GREEN day with class periods: 2nd, 4th, 8th, 5th and 6th.  

Homework due on Friday, September 25:     All class periods:  Textbook pages 59-60 #2-32 (even problems only) AND #34 through 37.

Homework due on Tuesday/Wednesday, Sept. 29-30:  Textbook page 73 #1-20.

  October 1st 2nd  -  Quiz #2 – Multiplication tables.

Chapter 1:  VOCABULARY TEST will be on October 5/6 .

TUTORIALS will be held on TUESDAY, September 29. 

Stay focus on learning.

NOTE TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS:

Detailed progress reports were sent home TODAY for periods 5th and 7th.  Expect detailed progress reports for periods 2nd, 4th and 6th tomorrow.

Please, ask you child to show you this detailed progress report, signed it and return it to me by next class period.

Thank you for your continous support,

Wednesday and Thursday of this week we will be continuing our study of atomic structure by creating models of atoms using fruit flavored cereal. If you are able, please help us complete this activity by sending to school any kind of circular, multi-colored cereal and or paper grocery bags. We will use the paper grocery bags as our background and the cereal will represent the sub-atomic particles. Glue will be provided, but it may be helpful for students to bring their own small bottle of glue.
In preparation for this activity, ask your child to review the procedures for determining the proper placement of electrons in their probability shells. They should consult their notes and examples we completed in class. Thank you for your support.

Note to parents and students:

Today you are receiving a school-wide progress report.  Please, ask your child to show it to you.  I will ask my Advocacy class to “show” me their progress report signed from you.  I will not keep it, I will just verify parents are aware of their grades. 

Math average:  I have informed ALL students that I will send home  detailed progress reports next class period.  If the student has an average less than 75, he/she will have the opportunity to have a conference with me to discuss how to improve his/her average.  ALL make-up work must be turned in by September 25 and the student will receive only partial points.  Remember, those assignments are long due by now, so after September 25 I WILL NOT accept make-up work for “old” assignments.  It is students’ responsibility to show their interest in completing make-up work;  I will not ask them. 

Homework: 

Worksheet #1:  Powers and Exponents (both sides). 

Worksheet #2:    Variables and Expressions (both sides). 

Next Monday/Tuesday ALL students will have a Quiz on Multiplication/Division facts (taken from “Summer Homework” yellow cards).  That will be scored as a Quiz grade. 

Next Wednesday/Thursday:  Mid-Chapter test on:  Divisibility rules, Prime numbers, Prime factorization, Order of Operations using variables and Expressions.

Friendly reminder:  Students have Math homework daily.  Please, verify your child is completing and turning in on time their assignments.  As a parent you can keep track by looking at their corresponding Math class period.  The student planner MUST show “STAMPS” letting you know if the homework has been completed, is incomplete or missing. 

STAY FOCUS ON LEARNING!

Have a great weekend.                                            

Character Test

This week students have been investigating characters using questioning strategies. Students will have have short test over character. The test will consist of a short story which students will read. As they are reading the story, they will respond to a series of questions. We have used these questions to analyze a story this week so students should be familiar with them.

1. Write a question about the character(s) that will help you get to know them better.
2. Predict the problem that characters will face.
3. How do you think the character feels?
4. How have the characters changed throughout the story?

Pop Quiz Anyone?

If there should be a pop quiz any time in the near future, it would be over the literary devices we have learned so far: simile, imagery, metaphor, repetition, and onomatopoeia. It would also be primarily multiple choice or matching.

Just a few more things…

Reading Logs- Students should be keeping a log of the time they spend reading independently. I expect students to read for 150 minutes a week. Reading logs are checked Friday (unless students are told otherwise).

October Scholastic orders will be available online as of Friday, September 18. You can order online at Scholastic Online Ordering. The user name and password are:

Class User Name: msparkersclasses Password: pinoak

Every Scholastic order helps us build our classroom library and additionally, we receive one free book for every online order.

Wednesday Workday- I will be holding tutorials/ work sessions on Wednesday afternoons from 3:50-4:50. Students can use this time to get extra help or simply to work on assignments (please note, I will not be available when we have our monthly faculty meetings).

I’ve had some great questions this week about history fair projects- is this a good topic, will I be able to do this sort of exhibit- and many more.  As you are thinking about your topic and how you want to present the information, keep in mind www.nationalhistoryday.org.  It has a TON of information and can help to answer questions faster than waiting to ask me.

A couple things to keep in mind:

1- topic selection forms are due FRIDAY the 18th, NO EXCUSES

2- library services has some great resources to use as you are narrowing down your topic (thank you Mr. E!)

3- no research papers, please!

If I can help in any other way, please let me know.  More info to come as we get further into the process!

The following comes from HISD Library services. Use the user name and passwords to access the many online resources HISD makes available for home use.

The 2009-2010 user name is: houstonisd (same as last year)

The new 2009-2010 password is:texans

These passwords work for the following Online Resources: Britannica and World Book encyclopedias, ABC-CLIO, EBSCO, NetTrekker, WilsonWeb, Proquest, Thompson Gale, and Teaching Books. All of these resources are accessible without using a login on an HISD campus. From home or other remote location you must use the user name and password listed above.

BrainPop has been provided again this year for all of our students by the Special Education Department. This resource currently requires a login at school and at home. Students may only access BrainPop until 5:00 PM. Teachers may use BrainPop 24/7, however. This year we have access to 3 BrainPop modules: BrainPop (grades 3-12), BrainPop Jr.(K-3), and BrainPop Español. The BrainPop website is: http://www.brainpop.com/ . From here you can link to BrainPop Jr. or BrainPop Español (follow the link at the bottom of the BrainPop page to get to the Spanish version). BrainPop Español provides a large number but not all of the English content of the 3-12 site in Spanish.

For Students

User name: houstonisd1

Password: texans

United Streaming/Discovery – logon is houstonisd and the password is texans

You may get to these resources via the following websites:

http://tinyurl.com/42bx4k

or

http://www.hisdlibraryservices.org/online_resources.htm

First, I want to say thank you to everyone that was able to make it to Open House last week.  The turnout was great, and I enjoyed meeting everyone!  As promised, I sent home the first history fair packet of information this past week.  It’s 3 pages, and has a page that needs to be returned THIS Friday, the 18th.  Please let me know of any questions that come up. 

Ms. Baumgarten

History Fair Packet

Parents, here is a great .pdf that explains how to help your child write better:
http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Positions/tips-parents.pdf

It comes from this NCTE website that encourages all of us to write:
http://www.ncte.org/dayonwriting/tips

If you have 8th period science, then you did not have the opportunity to copy the class average data for the Green Beans lab. Use this link to access the spreadsheet.

Note to parents and students:

All students have received the instructions for our first project:  “THE FACTOR GUY” project.  At the same time each student has received two numbers that will become their project.  This project is due next Friday, September 18.  I have informed the students to start working only on the factors of their two numbers and if there are questions about how to “set it up”, we will clarify those during the week.  Please, notice that a RUBRIC is also included. 

All students will be receiving back their first Quiz graded next week.    It will be student’s responsibility to keep these graded papers and show them to their parents. 

Topics to be covered next week:  Prime Factorization with exponential form, (How to read, write and solve) Power and Exponents, Order of Operations, Algebra:  Variables and Expressions. 

TUTORIALS:  Tutorials will be available on Mondays from 3:40 to 4:40 p.m.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND. 

 Instructions for “FACTOR GUY” project:

House C 6^th grade  FACTOR GUY  Project   #___ #___

 Obj.  To demonstrate understanding of prime and composite numbers.

Assigned:  _____________________  Due: _____________________

Name:  ______________________      Per.  _____________________

Instructions: 

1. The student will receive two numbers from Mrs. N. Hernandez.
2. Determine if your number is Prime/Composite.
3. Determine if your number is a square number.
4. Design the “Factor Guy” to represent each number. 
5. Use the appropriate hat to identify your number.
6. List ALL the factors for each number on the corresponding “Guy”.
7. Add the square to your Guy as part of the “body” IF the number is square.
8. NEATLY color and glue the Factor Guy on a black construction paper to provide an attractive and sturdy background.

 GRADING RUBRIC:

Parent’s signature:  ______________________Date  :  ____________

Here are two places to go when your child needs help at home with an English question.  The third site is a game that helps build vocabulary.

 http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

 Guide to Grammar and Writing

This site has explanations and quizzes.

 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

 The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

Very comprehensive site!  This is a great site for help with MLA citations for research.

 http://www.freerice.com/

 Free Rice

Why is Mrs. Geraci directing us to a site for rice?  Well, there is a great vocabulary game here, and every time you get an answer correct ten grains of rice will be donated to the UN World Food Program.  There are also math, Spanish, and chemistry questions.

Thank you to all the parents who came to Open House this evening. We enjoyed meeting you and look forward to working with you and your children this school year. Email us if you have any questions and check the blog regularly for important announcements.

The first two weeks have flown by and your former fifth graders are looking confident sixth graders! We have a minimum of tardiness and our hallway is clear and clean during class. We are so happy that the kids seem to be making a smooth transition to Pin Oak.

In science, we have been discussing the scientific process and practicing measuring skills. Ask your children what happens when Skittles dissolve in water. Or vinegar! Or salt water! Or hot water! They know the answer because they designed their own experiments while studying scientific questions, hypotheses, and experimental variables.

We are finishing up the short review and introductory unit this week and will be moving into matter and energy next. States of matter, the periodic table, chemical and physical changes and properties are all part of this upcoming unit. Soon, we’ll be making a model to illustrate atomic structure using Froot Loops and I’ve planned some other hands on activities. Watch this space for info!

This Week in Reading…

This week we are working on making predictions, asking questions (at which 6C students are very adept), and clarifying. We are reading the short story, Charles by Shirley Jackson. This is a funny story which has a surprise twist at the end!

Next week we will begin an investigation of character, plot, and conflict. I have a  test over character tentatively scheduled for September 21 and 22, and I will give more details on this when we get closer.

Summer Reading

Most students have turned in their Summer Reading assignment, but a few still have this outstanding. Summer Reading must be turned in by this Friday, September 11 for students to receive full credit. After Friday, students will receive a 20% late penalty.

Reading Logs

Students have begun keeping a weekly reading log. I expect student to read for 150 minutes per week and to keep track of their minutes and pages. Students keep their reading log in their folder in class and update it each class day. I have provided a book mark on which student scan track their minutes and pages read at home, around school, or wherever they get a minute to enjoy a good book! These do not have to be signed by a parent, but I encourage you to talk with your child about the books he or she is reading!

;-0

 WELCOME EVERYONE TO A NEW SCHOOL YEAR

Notes to Parents and Students:

This BLOG will be an useful tool to learn about the topics, assignments and projects we are working in class.  Use it regularly to stay informed!

As of today, I have asked all students to bring me a copy of their TAKS results 2009.  I will be using those results to know the students better in terms of mastery of the objectives as of 5th grade.

SUMMER MATH HOMEWORK:  as you know this homework is a requirement–not optional– and must be turned in by the end of this week, if you have not turned it in yet.  All students will receive a grade based on the completion of this assignment.

Textbooks:  we have available a class set of textbooks for students in the classroom.  This will give the opportunity to the students to keep their textbook at home and use it for study or completing homework.  If the student wants to bring their own textbook to class, it will be fine, too!

Chapter 1:  NUMBER PATTERNS AND FUNCTIONS

We just have begun studying Chapter 1.  All students must be working on identifying all the factors for numbers from 1 through 100.  Also, we are emphasizing in  clear undestanding of vocabulary words.  Vocabulary words from page 68 must be completed by the end of Chapter 1, previous to Chapter 1 test. 

Dates to remember:  Open House:  September 9, 2009. 

TUTORIALS will be on MONDAYS from 3:50 to 4:50 p.m.  Please be aware that parents will be responsible for transportation after tutorials. 

Here is a great opportunity for anyone in the Pin Oak community to get heard.  In conjunction with the National Council of Teachers of English and in celebration of the National Day of Writing, Pin Oak has its own gallery on the National Gallery website.

If you have an essay, a short story, or a poem to submit, or if you just want to read what others are saying, please go to  http://galleryofwriting.org/galleries/141329 and contribute to our page.  Anyone in the Pin Oak community may submit their writing: faculty, staff, students, parents.

Please note, because of the time involved in formatting each submission correctly, it takes a couple of days for your submission to be posted.   This means that currently our website looks empty, although we have had a couple of submissions already.  Please submit your work soon.

 Thank you!

 C. Geraci

This year I am trying to make homework more interactive and fun for the students. To that end, we will at some point be using the Renzulli website for homework in my class. Until that time, here is a simple exercise to help your child remember some basic capitalization skills:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/par_numberless_quiz.pl/caps_quiz.htm
Students should folow the directions on the website, click submit application, then print their answers. If they are unhappy with their results, students may try again.

I have handouts for anyone who does not have access to the internet. or who cannot rpint their results. Homework is due Friday, but I will accept early work.

I think that I speak for all the teachers in 6C (but I know I speak for myself) when I say just how excited we are to get to know this year’s group of students! I am overjoyed with how many students have already turned in their summer reading assignments. I can’t wait to start reading your thoughts about the books you read this summer.

I have just a couple of reminders for Reading class:

Students will receive extra credit on their Summer Reading assignment if they are turned in by this Friday, August 28.  Students will have until Friday, September 11 to turn these in for full credit. Remember that you are to have 8 reading responses (4 per book). If by any chance you need another copy of the assignment or forms, I am attaching the file below.

6th Grade Summer Reading Packet

6th Grade Response Form

Also, yesterday and today student received their Reading Information sheet. They have been instructed to discuss and and verbally summarize this information with their parents or guardians. Their proof of completion of this task is having the bottom of the form signed. Please return the entire form as I will return it to students to keep in their binder after I have checked it in. If you need an additional form, it is attached below.

6th Grade Reading Information 09-10

I am very excited that school is back in session and hope you and your child feel the same. Here you will find basic information about my class. We are still awaiting word on some new policies, so I will post an update to our 6C blog in the near future.

Supplies For my class your child will need the following: one composition book, a folder with brads and pockets, blue or black ink pens, steady supply of notebook paper. The composition book is for the writers’ notebook and will remain in my class.

Grades There are two types of grades in my class: daily grades and major grades. Daily grades will consist of class work, homework and quizzes. Writer’s notebooks and warm ups will also be daily grades. Major grades are comprised of tests, projects, a portfolio and extended papers.

Class work Any work we do in class must be turned in the same class. This is especially true of any work completed in the writer’s notebook. There will be more information about this notebook coming soon. If we run out of time, I may ask students to turn in incomplete papers and pass them out at a later date to finish. The only exception to this are the warm ups which are graded separately and which must be complete seven minutes after the tardy bell.

Homework Usually homework will be due on Friday. I post homework on my front board and your child is responsible for copying the homework off the board into his/her planner.

Quizzes Once a week students will answer a question about the work we did in class that day. Their answer is their “Exit ticket” and will count as a quiz grade. We will also have quizzes over the material studied in the warm ups as needed to help prepare for GUM tests.

Tests, Projects, Papers, Portfolios I will give an exam over the GUM (grammar, usage and mechanics) skills we studied about once every six weeks. Your child will keep a writer’s notebook and a portfolio in my room. The notebook is where we will practice specific skills and gather ideas. The portfolio will contain brainstorm exercises, rough drafts, editing/revising remarks and final copies.

Syllabus Our basic schedule for the year is as follows:

First 6 weeks: Short Stories and grammar basics
Second 6 weeks: Personal Narratives, pronouns and prepositions
Third 6 weeks: Expository Writing – Newspaper Article and Research skills
Fourth 6 weeks: Persuasive Writing, complex sentences
Fifth 6 weeks: Poetry and Literary Response
Sixth 6 weeks: Fables and Oral traditions

Contact Information The best way to reach me is by email at cgeraci@houstonisd.org. My phone number is 713-295-6500 ext. 400. I return phone calls during my conference time at 1st and 4th periods. If you would like to set up a conference, please send an email to our cluster leader, Mr. Edquid.

NOTE TO PARENTS, STUDENTS AND VISITORS!

TAKS RESULTS ARE BACK:

6TH GRADE STUDENTS HOUSE C HAVE SET NEW RECORDS:

100% PASSING SCORES

AND

OUT OF 126 STUDENTS —

99 COMMENDED PERFORMANCE!

Thank you parents for all your support during this AMAZING school year and to ALL my students:  I am proud of you!  CONGRATULATIONS!

NOTE TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS:

Please be aware that we are very close to the end of the school year. Today I have sent a detailed progress report for every student in class periods 5th and 7th. Ask you child to show it to you. There is no excuse for not having it.

I will send a detailed progress report for class periods 2nd, 4th and 6th tomorrow–Tuesday–. It is imperative that parents see this progress report.

If your child has not turned in any of our most recent projects: Geometry Terms and Survey project, he/she will received a “0″, which will affect greatly his/her final average.

Thank you for your support,

6C students have the opportunity to attend a field trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science Wednesday, May 27, 2009. We will be visiting the new special exhibit, Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor. The $13 cost of this field trip will cover museum admission and bus transportation. We will enjoy our sack lunches in the adjoining Hermann Park. If you would like your child to participate in this field trip, please return the permission form and include the $13 field trip cost by Friday, May 22, 2009. Download the permission slip here .

The students are currently workingon an inclass project. They are creating a brochure on a country of their choice and will be working in the library for the majority of this week.

Separately, students will receive a grade print out today and tomorrow. Please review the report with your child.

NOTE TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS:

SURVEY Project is due next Monday/Tuesday, May 18-19. The project can be typed BUT the pie graph MUST be done from scratch. No computers/electronic devices are permitted to create the pie chart.

Today I have sent detailed progress reports for some students in 5th and 7th period. Please, ask your child if a progress report has been sent home. If in doubt, please contact me. I will be sending progress reports for ALL students next week.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND

As a reminder, students will have a test over the following literary devices May 18 or 19: simile, metaphor, allusion, repetition, hyperbole, idioms, and onomatopoeia. Various types of imagery will also be included on the test. Most examples will come from the following two stories which we have read in class. Student are encouraged to reread the stories over the weekend just to refresh their memories:

Grover Dill and the Tasmanian Devil

All Summer in a Day

One final reminder- READING JOURNALS ARE DUE TOMORROW, MAY 15!

NOTE TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS:

TEST! TEST! TEST! Friday, May 15: Geometry Terms TEST.
The students must use the geometry term that BEST describes the shape/lines from a design created by Mrs. N. Hernandez.

SURVEY PROJECT DUE DATE HAS CHANGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The student MUST:
a) turn in the Survey Project tomorrow, Friday, May 15–as scheduled OR
b) SHOW to Mrs. Hernandez–tomorrow Friday, May 15–the draft for the entire project including ten (10) conclusions AND turn in the FINAL PROJECT on May 18-19.

Keep up the good work and enjoy your weekend.

10. Triolet – Brainstorm and first draft
11. Haiku – Brainstorm and first draft
12. Tanka – Brainstorm and first draft
13. Acrostic – Brainstorm and first draft
14. Kyrielle – Brainstorm and first draft
15. Free Verse – Brainstorm and first draft
16. Pantoum – Brainstorm and first draft

Note to Parents and Students: 

GEOMETRY TERMS PROJECT is due next Monday (B)/Tuesday (G), May 11/12.  All students  must have by now turned in the Geometry Terms booklet and the draft of their design. 

The design for this project must be colored.  Framing the design is entirely OPTIONAL.  Please, do not use glass in your frame. 

Our next project–THE SURVEY PROJECT– was assigned on May 6-7.   Instructions and rubric were sent home, also.  The only thing the students must have by next Monday/Tuesday is the selection of their TOPIC.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Below please find a copy of instructions and rubric for THE SURVEY PROJECT.

Name: _________________________ Date: ________________ Class Per ____
PreAP/GT Math, Mrs. N. Hernandez, C-House

SURVEY PROJECT

This project was assigned on: May 6 Due on_May 15

Objective 6.10: Probability and Statistics: The student is expected to collect, organize, interpret and use a circle graph to display data.

Instructions:
1. With teacher’s permission the student will select a topic for his/her survey.
2. Topic: __________________________________________________.
3. Conduct a survey with a minimum of 60 people surveyed. DO NOT use any groups of 100’s. Variables: minimum 5, maximum 6.
4. Record and organize your data using a frequency chart.
TITLE

VARIABLES
FRACTION DECIMAL PERCENT MEASUREMENT
OF ANGLES IN DEGREES

5. Verify that the sum of your decimal’s column adds to 100; sum of percentage add up to 100% and sum of the angles is 360°.
6. Present your data using a circle graph AND show your results in percentages. The circle graph MUST BE DONE from scratch. No computers allow in this part of the project. If computer is used, the student will receive a “0” in this project.
7. Write a one-page essay to present your findings. You must record at least ten (10) conclusions from your data. Be careful: do not repeat your conclusions.
8. The student must use as many of the following vocabulary words as possible: population, survey, mean, median, mode, range, circle graph, preferences…
9. The essay must present the conclusions based on facts, not opinions, and expressed as decimals, fractions and/or percents.
10. Project is due on May 15. If project is not turn in on the due-date 30 POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM YOUR PROJECT GRADE.

__________________________________ _______________________________
Student’s name student’s signature
_________________________________
Parent’s signature

NAME: __________________________________ CLASS PER. _________

RUBRIC: POINTS EARNED OUT OF:

COVER (name, date, class period,
Neat and creative). _______________ 5

FREQUENCY CHART: _______________ 25

CIRCLE GRAPH w/key _______________ 30

ONE-PAGE ESSAY WITH AT
LEAST 10 CONCLUSIONS.
CONCLUSIONS SHOULD BE
BASED ON COMPARISON
BETWEEN ONE ANOTHER. _______________ 30

ORAL PRESENTATION _______________ 10

TOTAL: _______________ 100

There are several items I need to a share so for the sake of organization, I am going to make a list:

1. We are finished with Reading Responses for the year, however…
2. Students need to complete 3 Dialectical Journal entries which are due Friday, May 15. Students must choose three of the four types of journals we have done this semester: character, inference, imagery, or literary device. Students must choose three different types of journals. Attached is a sample rubric.
3. Students will have a quiz over the following literary devices May 18 and 19: simile, metaphor, allusion, repetition, hyperbole, idioms, and onomatopoeia.
4. Next week we will begin investigating archetypes in literature.

NOTE TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS:

Detailed progress report were sent home TODAY!  Please, ask you child to show it to you, sign it and return it to class.   School-wide progress report will go home tomorrow, May 6, 2009.

ALL students are working on their “Geometry Terms” project.  As of today, all students must be working on the first draft of their design for the STAINED-GLASS WINDOW project.  The fist part of this project, the booklet with the TERMS, DEFINITIONS, EXAMPLE AND APPLICATIONS was due today. 

ALL PRE-AP STUDENTS will be taking the “Laying the Foundations” test this coming Thursday/Friday, May 7-8. 

Parents:  if you have any concerns, please call or send us an e-mail at your earliest convenience.

STAY FOCUS ON LEARNING! 

TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS:

ALL STUDENTS MUST BE WORKING ON THEIR FINAL COPY OF THE GEOMETRY TERMS.  Some students already have turned in theIR final copy today, so they must/should be working on the draft of their design for the STAINED-GLASS-WINDOW PROJECT.

A copy with instructions/rubric was sent home on April/29-30.   

It is extremely important to STAY FOCUS ON LEARNING.  We still have several “hands-on” projects to expose the students to PreAP classes in 7th grade. 

STAY FOCUS ON LEARNING! 

Parents:  your child must be showing you detailed progress reports from Math class;  if you have not seen one, it would be a great idea to send us an email or give us a call. 

THERE IS DEFINITELY NO CHANCE TO RECEIVE AN ‘INCOMPLETE’ FOR THE LAST CYCLE.  STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE THEIR REPORT CARD LAST DAY OF SCHOOL. 

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND. 

NOTE TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS:

TAKS IS HERE!!! Tomorrow, April 28, is OUR big day. It is the day we’ll demonstrate how hard we’ve been working all year long. Our goal is 100% passing and –hopefully–100% Commended Performance.

There is NO HOMEWORK!!!… sorry, yes there is homework. But this homework has to be completed by the parents: take your child out and treat them with ice cream!!! or whatever else is SPECIAL for your child.

Students: have a great evening, go to bed early and have sweet dreams, get-up early and eat breakfast. Be back at school on-time!!

TRUST YOURSELF! You are 100% ready for this test.

PARENTS:  A detailed progress report was sent home today.  Please, ask your child to show it to you, sign it and return it to Mrs. N. Hernandez. 

Good luck!!!!!

The next quiz is in about a week and a half.  These are the terms that will be on that quiz.

1.  couplet – two lines that rhyme

2.  quatrain – a four line stanza

3.  quintet – a five line stanza

4.  sestet – a six line stanza

5.  cinquain – a poem with 22 syllables in five lines (2, 4, 6, 8, 2)

6.  Rondeau – a French form with three stanzas and a refrain

7.  stanza – a paragraph in poetry

8.  assonance – near rhyme ex. Bat – map, core – short

9.  rhyme scheme – the pattern of rhyme in a poem marked with letters of the alphabet

10. haiku – A Japanese form of three lines with seventeen syllables, most commonly written at 5 – 7 – 5.

11. tanka – a Japanese form of five lines with thirty-one syllables; 5 – 7 -5 -7 -7.

12. pivot – a line in a tanka that turns the poem from one thought or image to another

13. triolet – a French form of  eight lines with two repeating lines

14. free verse – poetry that is written without proper rules about form, rhyme, rhythm, meter, etc.

15. kyrielle – a French form written in quatrains with one repeating line at the end of each stanza.

16. acrostic – a poem written so that the beginning letter of each line forms a word; the lines should illuminate the word that is spelled.

Note to Parents and Students:

This is the time of the school year when it is extremely important to stay focus on learning!  TAKS TESTS ARE AROUND THE CORNER.

MATH TAKS will be on APRIL 28 and READING TAKS will be on APRIL 29.  

HOMEWORK:  Due next Monday/Tuesday:  All students have received two worksheets to practice Area, Circumference, Perimeter and angles. 

Next week the students will be working on REVIEWING ALL TAKS OBJECTIVES.  ALL class work will be graded.  As always, there will be daily homework. 

TAKS TUTORIALS ARE MONDAY, TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY

FROM 3:50 TO 4:50 P.M. 

Please make sure your child has transportation.  PIN OAK WILL NOT PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION AFTER TUTORIALS.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

 You are going to share five poems you write with the world.  For each of these poems, you will write a paragraph giving your reader some background information about the poem.  You will also have an introduction that tells your reader about yourself.  You will include artwork with each poem.  I suggest you get started as soon as possible.  You will have several checkpoints along the way that will help your grade and keep you on track.

Introduction to the Poet – Tell the world fun and interesting things about yourself that will help us understand your poetry.  I will write one about myself in class to help you.

Introduction to each poem – Why did you write this particular poem?  What compelled you to choose the images you chose?  Tell us anything to help us understand the poem itself.

Five poems – Of the poems you write, one must be a rondeau, a kyrielle or a pantoum.  For the other four you may choose to write a haiku, tanka, cinquain, free verse, metaphor poem, triolet, or acrostic.

Artwork for each poem.  – You may choose computer graphics or your own drawings.  You can also use photography or anything else to illustrate the poem.

There are three options on how you may share your work. 

Web Page – Create a web page and send me the URL.  Your web page should include the elements listed above.  Every poem should have its own page.  Include links to each poem on the first page, which may be the poet introduction page.  You may have the poem introduction on the same page at the poem.  Don’t forget to include artwork.

PowerPoint Presentation – Please remember I do not have Vista.  Save your work in an earlier format.   Your presentation should include eleven slides.  One slide is an introduction to your self.  Every poem should have an introductory slide and every poem should have its own slide.  For longer poems you may use two slides.  Every poem should also include artwork.

Chap Book  – A chap book is a small book of poetry.  Your chapbook must have the same elements listed above.  You must have a cover, an introductory page about yourself, an introduction to each poem, and each poem with some artwork. 

Due Date – May 18/19.  Early work will be rewarded!

We are thrilled to also welcome Barbara Baltazar. Ms. Baltazar will be joining 6C through the end of this year as our World Cultures teacher. Ms. Baltazar received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Loyola University, New Orleans in May 1990. Since that time she has taught in Louisiana, California and Texas. She currently holds a Generalist Texas Certification. Ms. Baltazar is a “Charger” at heart. Ms. Husi’s class will be the fourth long-term substitute position she has held at Pin Oak Middle School. She is the proud parent of Gracie, who is an A-House student at Pin Oak. Ms. Baltazar is looking forward to working closely with each of Ms.Husi’s students as we enter the last six weeks of the 2008-2009 school year!

Missing Work

Print outs were given to students today with any assignments that are missing. This work is due by Thursday April 9th.

Africa Test

All students got a copy of the Africa study guide today with vocab words they should know. Please make sure your child is ready for the test.

Tissue Bonus

Students who would like to gain 15 bonus points toward their grade can bring in a box of tissue between now and Thursday. This offer is good only once per student.

Review Session

Don’t forget that the Africa Test Review will be today. It will last from 3:45 to 4:30pm. Please make sure to pick up your child on time.

Journals

Students will be required to turn in (2) Dialectical Journals by Thursday, 4/9/09. One entry will be a Literary Device Journal and the other will be Free Choice (Character, Imagery, Inference) Journal. Students will have time to work on these in class next week.

WOTD Test 4/8 or 4/9

Students will have a Word of the Day Test over list 4 Wednesday or Thursday of next week. Students should have the complete list and words are posted in the classroom.

No Reading Response

Students will not be required to complete Reading Responses next week (as they are to focus on completing their journal entries). We will resume Reading Responses the following week.

East and West Africa Test

Students need to study for the Africa Test! The test will be on Wednesday for blue day and Thursday for green day.  Students should study key vocab terms and Africa map.

Review Session

A review sessiom will be held on Monday from 3:45 -4:30 for any student who has a questions about the Africa test. Students should come with questions!

Late Work

All late work is due by Thursday!!! Students need to make sure they turn in all late and missing work.  Students who have questions about grades should see me after-school.

Over the past two weeks we have been working on the concept of “theme” in Reading. This can be a very challenging concept for students because as stories become more complex, the theme often becomes more abstract.

We have been exploring the short story “All Summer in a Day,” by Ray Bradbury and will be spending a bit more time on it.  I am posting a copy of the story for students who may want to reread it on their own or for parents to enjoy as well (this is a great story for a dinner time discussion).  Students are also working with this story in English to develop thesis statements.

“All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury

NOTE TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS:

HOMEWORK:  Complete worksheet reviewing conversions of fractions, decimals, percents.   DO NOT USE A CALCULATOR.  We will have a Pop-Up quiz in reference to this worksheet!

DETAILED PROGRESS REPORT WERE SENT TODAY FOR 5TH PERIOD ONLY!  Please, have it signed and return to Mrs. N. Hernandez.

Keep focus on learning!!! 

TUTORIALS EVERY MONDAY FROM 3:50 TO 4:50 P.M.

Have a great weekend

Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope that everyone had a restful break. In World Cultures we are busy learning about East and West Africa. Students should be  studying the African Map. Any student who is missing an African Map should see me ASAP. Students should be learning the country and captial of East African and West African countries.

Grades

Students who have questions about their progress report grade should see me during Advocacy or afterschool.

Tutorials

Reading tutorials will be held on Wednesdays from 3:50- 4:50 p.m. Students may come for help with Reading Responses, Journal entries, to get further help with skills covered in class, and for TAKS assistance. Students may come simply to work on assignments for Reading assignments, but they must have work to keep them busy! Please feel free to e-mail me at aparker1@houstonisd.org if you have any questions.

Skills

This week we are working on recognizing theme in literature. Theme is the message or lesson the author wants the reader to learn.

This week in science, we continue to study cells and cellular processes. Students should be familiarizing themselves with organelles and their respective functions. Please make sure your child is reading and studying chapter 4 vocabulary for an upcoming quiz.

NOTE TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS:

SPRING BREAK IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Please, have a nice rest and re-energize your “batteries”.   

  TAKS is around the corner, so right after break we will be working hard to review all  Math objectives. 

On Wednesday and Thursday a detailed Math progress report was sent home and today a school-wide progress report was sent.  Please ask your child to show it to you. 

YES, we have homework during the “break”.  Students have received a TAKS workbook and they have to answer questions from pages 81 through 92.  PLEASE, DO NOT WRITE ON THE WORKBOOK.  Instead use paper and pencil to show calculations and final answer.  This homework probably will take about 60 to 90 minutes. 

HAVE A GREAT “SPRING BREAK”. 

NOTE TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS:

Next Monday-Tuesday, March 9-10,  students will take a make-up test Chapter 5.  It is extremely important to analyze and do corrections for all the wrong answers from your Chapter 5 test taken last Monday-Tuesday. 

ALL STUDENTS WILL COMPLETE PAGE 286 FROM MATH TEXTBOOK AS PART OF HOMEWORK (if it has not been completed yet.)

Parents:  correct answers for the test were given to the students;  so it is student’s responsibillity to do the calculations for each wrong answer and prove the correct answer. 

RECIPE PROJECT:  If  your child has not turn in the RECIPE PROJECT,  the last day that I will receive  a  “late project” will be next Friday,  March 13. 

STAY FOCUSED ON LEARNING!

Have a great weekend, 

FRIENDLY REMINDER:

VOCABULARY TEST FOR CHAPTER 4 AND 5 ON FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2009.

Google provides its suite of office applications and email services to educational instututions for free. Cluster 6C uses these services so that all our students can have access to word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software as long as they have internet access. We are in the process of registering all our students for these services. Use the links below to log-in for the Pin Oak Google Applications.

• Start Page
• Email
• Pin Oak Documents

HISD has contracted Renzulli Learning to make available interactive resources and activities to students and teachers. These activities are tailored to your child’s interests. If your child has not yet registered, please visit the registration page.

If your child has completed registration and needs to finish his/her profile, please log in.

Grading cycle 4 ended on February 20. Please expect your child’s report card to be sent home on March 4, 2009.

Solar system travel brochures are due Monday, March 2. Please use the following documents to check that you have met all the requirements.

Please keep in mind that the student rubric has the scoring chart for only one planet. Since the students are required to complete 4 planets, the final teacher rubric will have 4 scoring charts for planets.

Notes to parents and students:

RECIPE PROJECT is due next Friday, February 27.  Please go to February 12 Math PreAP to see more specific instructions.  All students have received a copy of the Rubric for this project.

Homework for Monday/Tuesday, Feb. 23-24.  Complete calculations/conversions for Mrs. Hernandez’ recipe AND complete calculations/conversions for your own recipe.  The handout completed in class today will be part of your project. 

REMEMBER:  Your recipe MUST include at least 5 different fractions. 

Keep practicing and stay focused on learning!

Have a great weekend,

Student are to do Reading Essential Workbook pgs 153-174

Due Feb 24th (Green Day)

Due Feb 25th (Blue Day)

Note to parents and students:

Fourth (IV) Cycle will end February 20.  Detailed progress report were sent home today for ALL periods.  Please, verify  your grades and if there is any discrepancy see me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  If there is any missing work you have to turn it in BEFORE February 17.  I will not accept missing work after that date.  

Reminder:  the average indicated in the progress report will be changing daily up to Friday, February 20. 

Have a great weekend and “Happy Saint Valentine’s Day”. 

Grade Print Outs Given out TODAY!

Every student was given a grade print out today (2/13). This shows what the students current grade this will be on the report card. Also students were given a list of any missing work they need to complete. Religions of the Middle East, German Minorities Questions, Inaugural Facts and Inaugural Weather Questions are all posted in blog posts. ALL missing work is due by Friday Feb 20th at 3:45pm. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!

Europe Test

Students were given the grade they got on the Europe test. Scranton’s will go home next week. Answers to the test were given in class with student making corrections to their Scranton.

German Minorities Questions

Students who are missing this assignment can copy the question and check out an article from Mrs. Husi. The questions are: 1. What does the word nonracial mean? 2. Why do Germans feel they are not racists? 3. Why is it unlikely for a minority to become the leader of Germany? 4. What does the German word “Rassenchande” mean in English? 5. How has President Obama given hope to the German minorities? 6. What can be done to help German minorities feel more accepted in Germany?

Inaugural Weather

The website used for Inaugural Weather is: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/lwx/Historic_Events/Inauguration/Inauguration.html Here are the questions. 1. The warmest January inauguration happened in ______. The noon temperature for the warmest January inauguration was _____ degrees Fahrenheit. 2. The coldest January inauguration happened in ________. The noon temperature for the coldest January inauguration was ______ degrees Fahrenheit. 3. The same president was inaugurated on both the warmest and coldest January inauguration days. He was _______. 4. The worst weather for an inauguration day occurred for President William Howard Taft in ________. Nearly ________ inches of snow fell on Washington, D.C. 5. A record amount of ___________fell on President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s second inauguration day, in 1937. 6. The temperature was 89 degrees Fahrenheit for President _______’s inauguration. The ceremony took place on __________________. 7. The coldest March inauguration occurred in ________. The noon temperature was_________ degrees Fahrenheit. It was the second inauguration for President __________. 8. The noon temperature for George Washington’s first inauguration, in March of 1793, is believed to have been _____ degrees Fahrenheit. 9. President Benjamin Harrison took the Oath of Office under an _____ in 1889. 10. The temperature for the 1917 and 1921 inaugurations was _______ degrees Fahrenheit.

Inaugural Facts Questions

The website used for Inaugural Facts is: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/pihtml/pinotable.html Here are the questions: 1. Who was the first president to be inaugurated on January 20? 2. Who was the first president to be inaugurated at the Capitol, in Washington, D.C.? 3. Who was the first president to take the Oath of Office in the White House? 4. Who was the first president to ride in a car to and from his inaugural ceremony? 5. Who was the first president to have his inauguration broadcast on television? 6. Who was the first president to have his inauguration broadcast live on the Internet? 7. Who was the first president to wear long pants for his swearing-in ceremony? 8. Which president’s inauguration is believed to have been the first one photographed? 9. Who was the first president to have his inauguration broadcast on radio? 10. Who was the first president to take the Oath of Office outdoors in Washington, D.C.?

NOTE TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS:

RECIPE PROJECT is NOT due on February 13, 2009.

As of now I just expect that the student has a copy of the recipe he/she will be working on.   The instructions (copy given to each student) are as follow:

RECIPE-MATH PROJECT

            Mrs. Hernandez 6C/PIN OAK MIDDLE SCHOOL

1. Choose a finger food snack recipe that requires a variety of fractions as part of your measuring ingredients.  (5 or more different fractions).
2. Type your recipe with instructions in 12 font and single-spaced.  Make sure you include the title of your recipe; and your full name on the top margin of your paper.
3. Prepare and decorate the cover with stickers, drawings, markers, pens, pictures, be creative…. (Do NOT print it out from your computer.)
4. Cook your recipe with verbal help/supervision from your parents/adult.  Parents/adults are encouraged to “add-to-the-lesson” bay asking questions. 
5. Clean up is student’s responsibility!
6. Extra 10 points in your project if you bring a sample of your cooked recipe to present to your class.  You can eat it during lunch or after school snack.  IF you eat your sample BEFORE you present your project, you WILL NOT receive extra points.
7. Conversions’ page:   You MUST  include the right measurements for each ingredient if you want to prepare:

   a) Half of your recipe       

  b) double amount of your recipe

  c)  one and a half amount of your recipe

Enjoy it and …HAPPY SAINT VALENTINE’S DAY

Your project MUST include:

1. 1^st page:  Cover/Title page:  (decorated, not printed from a computer).  Include your name, last name, class period, Title or your recipe, date)
2. 2^nd page:  original recipe with instructions typed.
3. 3^rd page:  Conversions (table)
4. 4^th page:  Calculations for your conversions (This page doesn’t have to be typed! These are your real calculations.)
5. 5^th page:  One page essay (typed)
6. 6^th page:  This instructions signed by your parents or legal guardian.

Date this project was assigned:  ___________________________________

Date this project is due:                ___________________________________

Student’s signature:  ________________________________ Class period:_______

Parent’s signature:    _____________________ date___________

As part of their weekly independent reading, students are now being asked to write three Independent Reading Responses each week. Responses are due Friday unless otherwise specified in students’ planners. Students practiced writing these responses several times in class and they have received a handout with instructions and a model to follow (see attachments below). Students are to complete responses on their own paper.

Independent Reading Response

Questions to Help with IRR

Students are still required to keep reading logs and are expected to read a total of 150 minutes each week.

We will be researching in the library this week for an in-class project. Follow the link below for some to start your research. Check back often as I will be updating the bookmarks as I find more websites.

Mr. E’s Solar System Bookmarks

Europe Test

Students will take the Europe Unit Test on Wednesday 11^th (Blue Day) or Thursday 12^th (Green Day). A review session for the Europe Test will be held Monday 9^th from 3:45-4:30pm. Students who attend the review session should be prepared with questions!! The test will cover identifying European countries and capitals, economies, political systems, and culture. The test will be about 70 questions.

Vocabulary Words

Students should be studying vocabulary at home. The following is a list of words that I expect students to know. Nationalist, Loyalist, Traditional, Market, Mixed and Command economies, Canton, Catholic, Protestant, Direct Democracy, Representative Democracy, Parliamentary Democracy, Constitutional Monarchy, Monarchy, Dictatorship, Legislative, Executive, Judicial branches, Parliament, Prime Minster, President, House of Lords and Commons. Along with vocab words found in the book and in the homework.

Religions of the Middle East

Many students are missing this assignment if you are missing it here are the questions. Copy them down and use your textbook pgs 88-93 to answer the questions. Questions must be written out in order to get full credit for this assignment.

1. What do the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have in common?
2. What items make up the complete Torah, the holy book of the Jews?
3. What are some beliefs of Judaism?
4. What are some beliefs of Christianity?
5. What items make up the Bible, the holy book of the Christians?
6. How was the spread of Christianity achieved?
7. What are the followers of Islam called?
8. What does the Quran, the Muslim holy book describe?
9. Why is Ramadan an important holiday on the Muslim calendar?

Please be aware that there is an early dismissal, Friday, February 6 at 1pm. Please make arrangements to have your child picked up as there will be no after school care.

There will be a quiz over chapter 13: Earth’s Atmosphere, Monday and Tuesday, February 9 and 10. Please make sure your child is reviewing his/her notes and studying the specific characteristics of the atmosphere’s layers, air pressure, composition of the atmosphere and our vocabulary — including the root words and prefixes.

Note to parents and students:

HOMEWORK DUE FEBRUARY 2/3: 

Textbook page 216 Vocabulary (definitions) and Vocabulary Check . 

Textbook page 221 Practice Test

If in need of clarification:  textbook Study Guide pages 217-220.

CHAPTER 4 TEST WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY,  FEBRUARY 4-5.

STUDY—-STUDY—-STUDY!!!

Have a great weekend 

Note to parents and students:

We have been working on the “coordinate plane”.   ALL class periods must turn in by Friday, January 30 the “kissing bunnnies” lesson.  Remember to graph and name ALL the points.  Also, you MUST include ALL the ordered pairs for every point in your coordinate plane.  Color and decorate it if you prefer!

On Friday, January 29, we will have completed in class our “big review” for Chapter 4 test.  Chapter 4 test will be next Wednesday/Thursday.  Remember that VOCABULARY words are always included as part of the test. 

Special note:  students that participated in the “trip to Washington” will have until next Tuesday to turn in the “kissing bunnies” lesson.

If you have any concerns, please ask!!!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend! 

PS  Tutorials on Mondays from 3:50 to 4:50 p.m.

Note to parents and students:

STANFORD test will be during January 21-23, 2009.  Please, make sure your child has a good night-sleep, good breakfast and arrives to school on time.

MATH COMPETITION:  Seven students from House C will be competing at West Briar Middle School tomorrow.  If your child did not receive a brochure, please click on this site:     west-briarmap3

MATH WORKBOOK:      HOMEWORK FOR ALL PERIODS:

Lessons:  5.1 Rounding fractions and Mixed numbers, 5.5 Add/subtracting fractions with unlike denominators, 5.7 Subtracting Mixed numbers with Renaming, 6.1 Ratios and rates, 7.3  Percents and decimals–Only even number problems.

Lessons:  9.4 Triangles and 9.5 Quadrilaterals –All problems.

If you forgot your workbook, please click on the following link and you will have access to the workbook on-line.  Make sure that you scroll down and look for the specific lesson number.  When printing the copies, be careful that you send to print ONLY the assigned pages.  If you just click “print” you will be printing the entire workbook.  :-0  Good luck!

http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0078740436/386531/m1_studyguide.pdf

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!!!!!!

Pin Oak is proud to welcome Christina Miller to our faculty. Mrs. Miller will be taking over our 6th grade Italian rotation class. Mrs. Miller comes to us with experience from both public and private schools in the Houston area. We are confident she will inspire enthusiasm for language learning.

Europe Unit
Right now we are starting our Europe Unit. This unit will focus on European economies (Market, Command, Mixed) as well as the EU and the Euro. We will learn types of government as well along with basic geography.
 
Grades
Students got a grade printout before we went on winter break to show their grade for the 3rd 6 weeks. Students will get another grade printout in Feb the week before 4th 6 weeks report cards go home.
 
Supplies
Please make sure to have your binder with you everyday and loose leaf paper to write on. Also students need to make sure they are keeping up with homework by writing it in their POMS planner.
 
History Fair
Students who were entered in the school wide history fair completion should be very proud. While none of the students were selected to move on to the next round, three students were selected as runner up. Their display boards were showcased to the school and displayed in the school library. Congrats to all!
Jake Mardon
Cameron Wooster
Reginald Pettus

This week in Reading students have been taking a TAKS practice test so we can get a baseline of where we are and what we need to concentrate on this semester. Next week we will be doing some preparation for the Stanford test and spending plenty of time getting back into independent reading.

Parents, this week we are trying something a little different- YOU have some homework! Students are bringing home a Parent/Student Reading Conference Sheet and they have been instructed to arrange a meeting with you in order to complete it. I hope you will enjoy taking some time to talk with your child about his or her reading life. These are due 1/16/09 and I am attaching a copy below.

Parent/Student Reading Conference

Finally, January book orders are available in the classroom and online. There are lots of great titles this month so I hope you will check it out with your child!

Note to parents and students:

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!!

There is a very special assignment during the holidays.   If your child has received a packet, it is because his/her average (1st 6 weeks, 2nd 6 weeks & 3rd 6 weeks Progress Report) is below an 85 in Math Pre AP.  The Standord test will be given January 20-23, 2009 and these concepts/skills along with many others will be covered.  This packet includes 60 word-problems and it is expected to be completed and turned in no later than Friday, January 9, 2009.   Students must show calculations (yes, you can write on the packet!).

The students with an average above 85 decided to take the packet to receive extra credit.  So, except for very few, your child must have the packet.  Even if  it is for extra credit  or because the average is below 85, the student average was written on the letter sent home. 

Have safe and Happy Holidays.